Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is set to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday at 11:10 a.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a 55% chance of favorable weather conditions. The four-person crew, including astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney from the U.S., and Sergey Teteryatnikov from Russia, will spend six months on the International Space Station conducting various experiments and maintaining operations. Kutryk, an air force pilot selected as an astronaut in 2017, emphasizes the significance of international collaboration during his mission.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Joshua Kutryk, a Canadian astronaut and former Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, launched into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, October 5th, at 11:10 AM ET. Kutryk is part of the SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) alongside NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The launch was delayed due to a fuel system leak but ultimately proceeded successfully despite inclement weather conditions. Kutryk's former Grade 6 teacher Ted Hupé, now retired, watched the launch live from Canada. During their six-month mission aboard the ISS, the astronauts will conduct various scientific experiments focusing on human health and performance in space. Notably, Kutryk’s wife is expecting to give birth while he is away on his long-duration mission, marking him as the fourth Canadian astronaut to undertake such a prolonged stay at the ISS since 2004 when NASA established a radio link between astronauts and their families for significant life events. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully carried the crew into orbit, with the reusable booster returning safely to Earth after separation. The Crew Dragon capsule docked with the ISS around 7 PM ET on Thursday, completing an approximately eight-hour journey from launch to docking.
Written for “SpaceX Launch To ISS” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.
Canada’s next space traveller is fast approaching his scheduled departure – but the weather may have other ideas.
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On Wednesday afternoon, officials at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida said there was a 55 per cent chance of favourable conditions for the launch of a four-person crew heading to the International Space Station for half a year.
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The group includes Joshua Kutryk, a native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and an air force pilot who was selected to be an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency in 2017.
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Colonel Kutyrk is scheduled to fly with Jessica Watkins, crew commander, and Luke Delaney both of the United States, as well as Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia.
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The team is set to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday at 11:10 a.m. ET and dock with the space station about eight hours later.
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“I’m excited to do the science, I’m excited to look at the Earth, but I’m also excited to do it as a Canadian,” Col. Kutryk said during a press conference after he and his crewmates arrived on Sunday in advance of their launch.
He also stressed the value of the partnership that has enabled Canadians to work together with NASA colleagues.
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Col. Kutryk’s planned six-month stint on the ISS is another example of how active that partnership has been this year.
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In April, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and his U.S. crewmates captured the world’s attention with Artemis II, the first mission to take humans around the moon and back in more than half a century.
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Now, it’s Col. Kutryk’s turn to begin his nearer but far longer residency in Earth’s orbit.
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During that time he will conduct a wide range of science experiments and help keep the station running in whatever way is needed.
And while it’s tempting to call the mission a marathon – especially when compared with Col. Hansen’s 9½ day lunar sprint – there is a more apt comparison.
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“It’s a Tour de France,” said Robert Thirsk, a retired astronaut and physician who became the first Canadian to spend multiple months in space in 2009.
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“You get up and you go hard every day.”
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Dr. Thirsk said he picked up the metaphor from Gennady Padalka, a seasoned Russian cosmonaut who was the station’s commander when he first arrived there for a 188-day stay.
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“Gennady was a master at what I had to learn,” Dr. Thirsk said.
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“Every mission is going to have contingencies and inevitable malfunctions.
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So you need to have the physiological, but also the psychological reserves to deal with that.”
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He said that while astronauts on short duration missions tend to train for specific tasks they need to complete on a tight timeline, those who expect to spend many months in orbit instead focus on skills that may be required to deal with the unexpected and maintain their physical and mental capacity over the long haul.
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Dr. Thirsk said that Col. Kutryk was well suited for the challenge.
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“During the fifth month of his expedition, he is going to need as much energy and enthusiasm to perform his tasks and his experiments as he will during this first week,” Dr. Thirsk said.
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Col. Kutryk is set to become the fourth Canadian to undertake a long duration mission in space.
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Besides Dr. Thirsk, only Chris Hadfield and David Saint-Jacques have had comparably long flights aboard the ISS.
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One way that Col. Kutryk’s mission differs is in how he will reach the station.
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Unlike his predecessors who were all launched from Kazakhstan in Soyuz spacecraft, Col. Kutryk will be transported in a SpaceX Dragon capsule as part of NASA’s commercial crew program.
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Because it is the 13th regular flight under the program that relies on industrial partners to take astronauts to and from the station, the mission is referred to as Crew-13.
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mission → rely → Crew-13
The flight was originally scheduled for mid-September, but was held up when engineers detected an oxidizer leak and decided to investigate.
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engineers → schedule → leak
This led to the replacement of a valve – a delicate operation while the rocket was in its vertically stacked configuration.
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rocket → lead → configuration
During a call with reporters last week, Col. Kutryk said the problem was a minor one, but the decision to delay “makes us all feel that much more confident” in the safety of the vehicle.
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Another way that Col. Kutryk’s trip is likely to be unique among Canadian astronauts is the fact that he and his wife Heather are expecting their third child to be born later this year while he is still in space.
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he → expect → space
Mathieu Caron, director of astronauts, life sciences and space medicine with the Canadian Space Agency said that Col. Kutryk would have access to enhanced communications with his family during his time on orbit.
“We have a team that’s dedicated to making sure that we support Josh and that the Kutryk family will receive whatever support is needed during the mission,” he said.
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